Spudding beam



May 13, 1952 MOORE 2,596,709

SPUDDING BEAM Filed NOV. 2, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR. DEWEY R. MOORE ATTORNEY D; R. MOORE v SPUDDING BEAM May 13, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I l! I I Filed Nov. 2, 1948 v INVENTOR. I D EWEY R. Moons ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1952 SPUDDING BEAM Dewey R. Moore, Dallas, Tex., assignor to United States Steel Company, a

.lersey corporation of New Application November 2, 1948, Serial No. 57,908

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in spudding beams for cable tool drilling rigs.

The principal object of the invention is to provide improved spudding beams which prolong the useful life of drilling cables and: spudding sheaves over that possible with previous spudding beams with which I am familiar.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved spudding beams which reduce the fleet angles of the drilling cable both to the spudding sheave and to the cable drum to substantially zero. The term fleet angle as used herein refers to the side angle at which the cable approaches either the sheave or the drum. In the case of the sheave it is the angle between the center line of the sheave and that of the cable. In the case of the drum it is the anglebetween a tangent perpendicular to the drum axis at the point where the cable meets the drum and the center line of the cable.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved spudding beams which have means for automatically winding drilling cables evenly on the cable drum when the tool string is hoisted.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure a preferred form of which is shown in I the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of a detail of the spudding beam taken substantially on line III-III of Figure 1.

In the drawing there is shown at It a portion of the frame of a cable tool drilling rig. A spudding beam l 2 is pivoted to said frame on bearings l3 and carries a heel sheave 14 adjacent its pivoted end and a spudding sheave l5 adjacent its free end, the novel arrangements of which are more fully described hereinafter. A power driven cable drum I6 is rotatably supported on the frame. A drill cable l! is wound around said drum, reeved over heel sheave 14, under spudding sheave I5, over a crown block, not shown, and thence to the tool string in the usual fashion. The spudding beam is raised and lowered for drilling by the usual pitman I8. The rig has the usual drive mechanisms for the pitman, used for actual drilling operations, and for the drum, used for hoisting the tool string. Since these mechanisms maybe of any conventional con- 2 struction, they are not shown or described in further detail.

In accordance with the present invention, spudding beam l2 comprises a yoke I9, which is of V-shape in plan. Bearings l3, on which the beam is pivoted, are received in apertures in the arms of the V. A cross bar is fixed across the free end of the yoke (the apex of the V) and has bearings 2| at its extremities to which the pitman is pivotally connected (Figure 3). A pair of spaced parallel rails 22 are joined in fixed relation by cross pieces 23 and 24 and a fitting 25 and form a unitary floating member. Cross piece 23 of this floating member is pivoted at 26 to cross bar 20 on the free end of the yoke. The pivoted end of the yoke carries an arcuate trackway 27 centered above pivot 26 (Figure 1). Fitting 25 carries a roller 28 which rides on said trackway. Thus the floating member can turn about pivot 26 on an axis normal to the plane of the yoke and the opposite end of this member is supported on the trackway.

The preferred mounting for heel sheave [4 comprises a housing 29 which is mounted on the fitting 25 and in which said sheave is rotatably supported (Figures 1 and 2). The mounting of said housing comprises a spindle 3B, which is pivoted to the fitting for movement in the plane thereof and is pivotally received in the housing on an axis normal to its first axis of pivoting. The other end of the housing carries a projection M which is rotatably and slidably received in a slot 32 in the end of fitting 25.

The preferred mounting for spudding sheave [5 comprises an equalizer 33, on the upper end of which said sheave is rotatably supported. The mid-portion of the equalizer is pivoted to rails 22 of the unitary floating member. Thus the spudding sheave, as well as the heel sheave, moves with the floating member and the two sheaves remain substantially in the same plane. A spindle 34 is pivoted to the lower end of the equalizer and extends through an aperture in cross piece 24. A shock absorber spring 35 surrounds the free end of the spindle and is retained thereon by a nut 36 in the usual fashion.

In operation, as drilling progresses, drilling cable ll gradually unwinds from drum IS. The lateral position at which the cable meets the drum progressively shifts back and forth across the drum. The floating member formed by rails 22 and the cross pieces turns about pivot 26 and thereby maintains heel sheave M in alignment with this lateral position, except when this position is near either end of the drum. At such 3 times the floating member is at the extremity of the movement provided by its pivotal mounting. Housing 29 then turns on its mounting to maintain the alignment. This arrangement reduces the fleet angle of the cable to the drum to substantially zero at all positions of the parts.

When the tool string is hoisted, the drill cable winds on the drum and, as before, the lateral position at which the cable meets the drum constantly shifts. The floating member turns on pivot 26 and housing 29 turns on its mounting. These movements automatically carry the cable uniformly across the drum and thus insure that it winds evenly.

Since the mountings of both the heel sheave and the spudding sheave are carried on the floating member, these sheaves remain in substantially the same plane at all times. When the housing moves to take the heel sheave out of this plane, the tangential path of the cable from this sheave still remains aligned with the tangential path to the spudding sheave. This arrangement reduces the fleet angle of the cable to the spudding sheave to substantially zero at all positions of the parts.

The greatest source of cable and sheave wear is due to excessive fleet angles. By reducing these angles to substantially zero, I have thus prolonged the life of these parts over that possible with other arrangements in which there is a substantial fleet angle. At the same time I have insured that the-cable winds uniformly on the drum without the necessity of a manual operation.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of the invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of-the appended claims.

I claim l. A spudding beam comprising a yoke, bearing means adjacent an end of said yoke adapted to pivot the yoke to a support, means on the opposite end of said yoke adapted to be connected to a pitman for raising and lowering the beam, a unitary floating member pivoted to said yoke adjacent its pitman end and on an axis fixed with respect to the yoke and normal to the plane thereof, an arcuate trackway on the pivot end of said yoke centered about the pivot of said floating member, a roller on the end of said floating member riding on said trackway, a spudding sheave rotatably supported on said floating member adjacent its pivot to the yoke, a fitting on the roller end of said floating member extending downwardly and inwardly toward the pivot of the floating member to the yoke, a spindle pivoted to said fitting for movement in the plane of said fitting, a housing pivoted at one end to said spindle and having on its other end a slotted and pivoted connection with said fitting, and a heel sheave rotatably mounted in said housing.

2. A spudding beam comprising a yoke, bearing means adjacent an end of said yoke adapted to pivot the yoke to a support, means on the opposite end of said yoke adapted to be connected to a pitman for raising and lowering the beam, a unitary floating member pivoted to said yoke adjacent its pitman end and on an axis fixed with respect to the yoke and normal to the plane thereof, an arcuate trackway on the pivot end of said yoke centered about the pivot of said floating member, the free end of said floating member riding on saidtrackway, a spudding sheave rotatably supported on said floating member adjacent its pivot to the yoke, a fitting on the free end of said floating member extending downwardly and inwardly toward'the pivot of the floating member to the yoke, a spindle pivoted to said fitting for movement in the plane of said fitting, a housing pivoted at one end to said spindle and having on its other end a slotted and pivotal connection with said fitting, and a heel sheave rotatably mounted within said housing.

DEWEY R. MOORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

